Mukul Roy Dies: The TMC 'Chanakya' Who Helped BJP Expand Base In West Bengal

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Mukul Roy dies: Veteran politician and former railway minister Mukul Roy died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital on Monday, his family said. He was 71.

Roy breathed his last at 1.30 AM at the private hospital, his son Subhranshu Roy said, adding that he had been in a coma for the last several days.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was pained by the passing of Mukul Roy.“He will be remembered for his political experience and efforts to serve society. Condolences to his family and supporters,” the prime minister said in a post on X.

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Roy was a founder member of TMC when the party was formed in 1998. Later, following differences with the party, he joined the BJP in 2017.

Once, a Mamata aide joined BJP in 2021

Roy was once considered a close aide of Mamata Banerjee and often regarded as TMC's second-in-command and key strategist or 'Chanakya' of the party. But Roy surprised many when he jumped ship to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2017.

What followed was a series of defections from the Mamata-led party. The BJP finished close second to the Trinamool Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The BJP won 18 seats while the TMC won 22 seats in West Bengal, which sends 42 Lok Sabha members to the Parliament. Roy was widely credited with helping the party expand its base in Bengal in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Roy contested the 2021 Assembly elections on a BJP ticket and won from Krishnanagar.

Roy's influence within the BJP, however, began to wane. He left the BJP a month after Suvendu Adhikari became the Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal. Roy rejoined TMC on 11 June 2021, along with his son, in the presence of Mamata Banerjee.

Co-founded TMC

Roy was a veteran politician from West Bengal and was known as the 'Chanakya' of West Bengal politics after co-founding the party with Mamata Banerjee in 1998.

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As the Trinamool Congress's national general secretary, Roy was widely regarded as a master strategist and was once the second-in-command to Mamata Banerjee in the TMC.

In West Bengal's political circles, Roy earned a reputation as a backroom operator deft in organisational work. Roy was also credited with playing an important role in the TMC's 2011 victory that ended 34 years of Left rule in West Bengal. Roy also served as a Union Minister. He served as the Union Railway Minister in 2012 and Minister of State for Shipping during the UPA-II government.

Mukul Roy was often regarded as TMC's second-in-command and key strategist.

Roy joined the BJP in 2017 due to a rift with the TMC leadership. This was after his name surfaced in the Saradha chit fund scam, and when he was caught in a sting operation linked to the Narada case. Following these setbacks, he was removed from the post of TMC general secretary in 2015.

Roy was appointed the BJP's national vice president. While in the saffron party, Roy was credited with helping the party secure 18 seats in West Bengal during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He, however, returned to the TMC in June 2021.

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In November 2025, the Calcutta High Court cancelled the membership of Roy in the West Bengal assembly under the anti-defection law. In January 2026, the Supreme Court of India stayed a Calcutta High Court order that had disqualified him as an MLA. A bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kan and Justice Joymalya Bagchi kept the High Court order in abeyance, questioning the reliance on electronic evidence and citing potential overreach.

In his final years, Roy had withdrawn from active politics due to severe health issues, including dementia, Parkinson's disease, and diabetes. His son, Subhranshu Roy, confirmed his death following a massive cardiac arrest.

Political Career

Roy was born on 17 April 1954 at Kanchrapara, North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.

A former Union minister and two-time Rajya Sabha member from West Bengal, Roy's four-decade-long political journey saw his stints in the Congress, TMC and the BJP.

Roy did his Bachelor of Science from the University of Calcutta. He also earned an MA degree in public administration from the Madurai Kamaraj University in 2006. Roy was married to the late Krishna Roy and has a son, Subhranshu Roy, who is also a politician.

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Roy began his political career as a Youth Congress leader and became close to Mamata Banerjee, who was also a Youth Congress member.

Roy was a founding member of TMC, formed in January 1998 as a breakaway faction of Congress led by Mamata Banerjee. Soon, he became the party's face in New Delhi and was made general secretary in 2006.

In April 2006, Roy was elected to the Rajya Sabha and served as a leader of the Trinamool Congress from 28 May 2009 to 20 March 2012. In UPA II, he was first appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Shipping, then Minister of State in the Ministry of Railways after Mamata Banerjee resigned.

(With agency inputs)

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